This page showcases some of the mahi we're doing in collaboration with communities, landowners, iwi and other agencies. We hope you feel inspired by these stories!
Together, we can make your Waikato even better.
Mock oil spill keeps response team on their toes
31/3/25 - Learn how we keep our response team in tip-top shape and ready to tackle any oil spill scenario.
An unexpected journey
26/03/25 - Matamata Intermediate School’s Envirogroup had a big adventure at Hobbiton, absorbing the local movie magic and learning lots about sustainability.
Funding helps plant a native forest
28/2/25 - Ian has retired 38 hectares of steep country by planting 90,000 native plants, including timber species for a continuous cover forestry regime.
Recovery continues two years after weather events
29/01/25 - Two years on since the North Island wet weather events hit an already saturated Coromandel Peninsula, Waikato Regional Council is still rebuilding catchment and community resilience against flooding.
‘Little Dracula’ pest plant vanquished from Kopuatai
20/1/25 - A pest plant, which is a major threat to agriculture and biodiversity in some countries such as Africa, is being dug up and buried onsite near Kopuatai Peat Dome.
Bowhunters lift pest fish catch over 100 tonne mark
16/1/25 - Koi carp were in the sights of bowhunters during an annual gathering aimed at reducing their numbers in Waikato waterways.
Funding creates environmental benefits, jobs and hope
16/1/25 - Without funding, Shayne and Elizabeth MacKenzie wouldn’t have been able to fence off and riparian plant the waterway on their Waikawau Bay property, to protect it from stock.
Bike trail sets course for bush renewal
14/1/25 - The sound of silence in the bush above Thames was a key trigger that led a local group to take action to nurse their beloved environment back into shape.
New weir to be built for Tairua flood scheme
10/1/25 - Waikato Regional Council will start work onsite constructing a new weir for the Grahams Creek flood scheme later this month, with works to be completed by early February.
Rangatahi reconnect with voyaging heritage
19/12/24 - Young people from four wharekura (full immersion secondary schools) in the Waikato region got the chance to sail waka hourua – double-hulled seafaring canoes – on a three-day beach-hopping adventure packed with learning.
Coastcare champions 2024
18/12/24 - There are about 24 Coastcare groups protecting coastlines across the Waikato, with many committed and passionate members. To celebrate their efforts in 2024, we’re putting the spotlight on three Coastcare champions who go above and beyond in Cooks Beach, Onemana and Port Waikato.
Coming together to care for our coasts
18/12/24 - What happens if you want to remove pest plants, but it turns out that some rather special native lizards have made themselves at home in this otherwise undesirable habitat? This was just one of the topics up for discussion at the Waikato Coastcare Mini Conference 2024 in Kūaotunu, a small coastal township on the east coast of the Coromandel Peninsula, just north of Whitianga.
Alligator weed in Pauanui storm pond a risk to Coromandel waterways
17/12/24 - The appearance of alligator weed at a storm retention pond in Pauanui highlights what can happen when lawn clippings and garden waste are dumped rather than securely disposed of at an approved landfill or transfer station.
Funding means ‘old buggers’ don’t have to climb hills so often
12/12/24 - A big challenge for long-standing volunteer conservation and predator control group Habitat Tuateawa is trying to improve on efficiency and effectiveness.
Plants the best dressing to reduce coastal wounds
10/12/24 - At Port Waikato, the Port Waikato Beachcare team, local students and community have been planting like mad to strengthen weak spots in the dunes to prevent further ‘blowout’.
Kauri education programme rolls out to school children
2/12/2024 - Waikato Regional Council’s award-winning kauri virtual reality experience and education programme is being rolled out to hundreds of children in schools across the Waikato region.
Community push for pest-free Hakarimata halo
28/11/24 - When Greg Townsend first started trapping predators on his property and the adjoining Hakarimata Scenic Reserve in Ngāruawāhia three years ago, he was catching 50 possums a week with no end in sight.
Predator Free hub removes competition to achieve eradication
28/11/24 - Central Waikato Predator Free Hub harnesses the power of collective action to maximise the effectiveness of community Predator Free groups in what can otherwise be an isolating and competitive environment.
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